It was a warzone. A plastic battlefield. Shards of plastic were strewn about, peppering the snow-covered slopes with colorful bits of rubble, edges sharp as knives. Debris of all shapes and sizes in scattered piles atop the hill overlooked the shattered wreckage down below. It was a plastic wasteland.

Supporting our culture of convenience is a pervasive material that, while seemingly harmless in our car's cup holders, actually does so much damage to our planet. But it is not an issue to be taken lightly anymore.

In a study recently published online in Environmental Science & Technology, the scientists suggest that "the plastisphere represents a novel ecological habitat in the ocean and raises a host of questions": How will it change environmental conditions for marine microbes, favoring some that compete with others?

We have become a society of convenience and exploited plastic without regard for the impact on our environment. We take for granted the fragile balance of earth, air and ocean that serves as our life support system. But what do we do to support it in return?

I know that cutting back on all plastic is nearly impossible now, but by starting with these tips and pushing companies to explore other options instead of plastic, one day it won't be such a challenge.

Unlike air pollution which we can see and smell, most think plastic is harmless, or merely an aesthetic eyesore when seen on the ground or in the water, Woodring says, and is perceived of as less of a planetary problem by the public.

The author of the Single-Use Bag Reduction Act delivered a blistering expose of the false figures being used by the plastics industry trade association, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), to oppose her bill.